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Mist Walkers
Known all across the land of Valusia as Mist Walkers, this race of parasitic symbiotes originates from the swamps near Dyrinak. Seemingly capable of joining with any animal or insect species, this species of fungus has strong preference for beings of higher cognitive traits making them a serious threat to all surrounding nations. Spreading through thick, green clouds of spores, hosts can be assimilated within a matter of hours. Though their habitat has expanded greatly from its original boundaries, officials believe the spreading mist has been contained. Description Mist Walkers exist in two different forms: the spore form also known as the Miasmic form, and the fully assimilated form known as the Mist Walker form. Miasmic Form Dubbed by researchers as Miasmic since it spreads much like an airborne disease, this form behaves similarly to dandelion seed dispersal and can be held aloft by the gentlest of breezes. Unlike the dandelion however, the Miasmic spores can exist for months within the mist before drying out and dying. In this stage, the spores attempt to cling to anything organic they come in contact with, including trees and other plant life. After a few moments, the spore sprouts tiny roots that can eventually pierce several inches into skin, hide, or even bark. While a rooted spore may go unnoticed for days, the side effects of a single parasite are relatively mild beyond some discomfort or swelling. A host is not in any true danger until a few dozen spores have taken hold, and even then it would take days or even weeks for the spores to take control of the host. That time frame is significantly reduced as more and more spores attach themselves to a host, which is what makes the concentration of spores in the Green Mist so dangerous. In the deepest reaches of the Red Swamp, a victim may have thousands of spores attach themselves in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, breathing in these fungal spores accelerates the symbiosis by two to three times. Mist Walker Form Once a sufficient number of fungus spores have attached themselves to the host, the victim begins to feel tired and weak as the Mist Walker seeds begin to germinate within the bloodstream. As the host's life force is slowly drained away by the parasites, researchers believe that an intricate root system is interwoven throughout the brain which somehow allows the absorption of consciousness and thoughts. Once a being's consciousness is fully absorbed, the person who once was ceases to be and has now become a true Mist Walker. Throughout the transformation process from host to Mist Walker, researchers suspect victims can be saved as long as the fungal seeds have not taken root in the brain. Unfortunately, the reversal process is excruciatingly painful and depending upon how advanced the fungus has spread, may be lethal as well. While officials suggest keeping far away from the Green Mist is the best preventative measure, research parties along the fringe of the mist have had success staving off the transformation effects by routinely brushing off attached spores and keeping the mouth and ears covered at all times. Mist Walkers are considered quite dangerous to the common folk, especially due to popular misconceptions. Mist Walkers are not shambling mounds of moss and decaying flesh as some reports have claimed. On the contrary, Mist Walkers are, in every way, just as capable and intelligent as the being or organism they have assimilated and, aside from external fungal growth, appear just as they did before assimilation. To make matters worse, there have been rare reports of Mist Walkers displaying virtually no outward indications of assimilation being used to lure unsuspecting victims into the mist as a means of propagation. Habitat So far, researchers have not come to any conclusion about which types of regions Mist Walkers and their spores can safely exist in. There is much speculation that Mist Walkers could survive, although not thrive, in areas subject to deep freeze. However, many agree that like any fungus, Mist Walkers prefer warmer and temperate climates and seem to thrive in areas with heavy rainfall and saturated landscapes. This suggests that swamps, marshes, flooded areas, and even rain forest would make suitable habitats for the Mist Walkers. Researchers also agree that some other limiting factor is keeping the Mist Walkers centralized to the area they currently inhabit. While witnesses report that Mist Walkers have traveling up to 2 to 3 miles outside of the Green Mist, the creatures do no appear capable of remaining outside of this boundary for very long. Indeed, Mist Walkers that have been captured for study have all died within days of being removed from their environment. Furthermore, even spore specimen are apparently affected by this boundary and experience diminished lifetimes outside of the Mist. Origins First documented several months before the start of the Evernight Era, the Mist Walkers began as a relatively small infestation of fungus spores within the swampland around the hamlet of Dyrinak. A few witnesses from the surrounding areas at the time reported that a band of adventurers had put an end to the plight just before the Evernight began. Unfortunately, the threat returned soon after and remained unchecked while the Spiders ravaged the rest of the land. In that time, the mist of spores spread at an incredible rate and quickly enveloped the township of Orwell. Today, the mist has spread even further, from the former sites of Millet to Aragon, and almost twice as far South. Likely due to coastal winds, a slim strip of land along the coast between these two sites remains where the mist has does not form. In addition, the Northern winds sweeping down from the Dread Mountains appears to keep the mist from advancing any further towards the White Towns. Society Researchers have yet to determine the Mist Walker social structure as observation of their society is exceedingly difficult. Theorists speculate that some class structure exists with soldiers, scavengers, and some higher leadership caste. Government Once again, the lack of direct observation prevents researchers from making any strong conclusions about any sort of governance. The best information on the subject comes from a captured Mist Walker that was interrogated just before it expired after being outside of the Mist for too long. The creature spoke of something called "the Collective," which is believed to be the Mist Walker power base. The further away this prisoner was taken from the Mist, the more confused and agitated it became. It began expressing strong desires to return to this collective rather than returning to the mist, suggesting that some power created by this collective is more meaningful than the mist itself. Military The Mist Walkers do not have a standing military, per se, but any individual or group of hosts can be dangerous. Symbiosis with Mist Walker spores gives an individual increased strength and stamina, but worse still, each has a significantly advanced sense of awareness and perception. Ambush tactics are exceedingly difficult against the Mist Walkers meaning that brute force would be the preferred method of attack, yet even assaults en masse quickly become futile the longer a force remains within the mist. Before long, extended campaigns within the Mist Walkers territory only end up swelling enemy ranks as men begin succumbing to the parasitic spores one by one. Demographics Mist Walkers appear to have no preference in what race to assimilate, only that the being is of higher cognitive power. This means that people, whether man or elf or dwarf, are far more suitable for assimilation than plants or animals. While less likely to become hosts, plants and animals are in just as great of danger as they are targeted as sources of food. While no racial preference exists, humans (mostly Valusian) tend to dominate the ranks of the assimilated due to wide availability. Next, Spiders (almost exclusively trooper-level) and Elves are the next most common, then followed distantly by Orcs and Dwarves. The lacking numbers of the Orcs within the ranks of Mist Walker seems mostly due to their relatively recent retreat below ground after suffering major defeats in the Battles of Roxbury and Redspar Keep. The Dwarves, on the other hand, have been most reluctant to appear above ground for quite some time. There is no biological evidence to suggest that the Mist Walkers cannot exist underground, yet the relative safety of both the Dwarves and Orcs seems to suggest otherwise. Oddly enough, troglodytes to not appear to comprise much of the Mist Walker populace, despite being one of the races central to the origin of this species. This suggests either that the troglodytes do not possess strong enough cognitive traits and are better served as a source of food or that Mist Walker hosts have an extremely short lifespan.